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NewsDay

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Famers urged to unite

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The Zimbabwe Crop Producers’ Association (ZCPA) has urged government to prioritise agriculture as it is the backbone of the economy. In a statement last week, ZCPA chairman Angus Guthrie said government was not providing enough technical and financial support to the sector, hence its poor performance over the past decades. “Farming is a business and […]

The Zimbabwe Crop Producers’ Association (ZCPA) has urged government to prioritise agriculture as it is the backbone of the economy.

In a statement last week, ZCPA chairman Angus Guthrie said government was not providing enough technical and financial support to the sector, hence its poor performance over the past decades.

“Farming is a business and we need the right conditions plus the support of our government to operate as a viable concern,” Guthrie said.

“Without this happening, Zimbabwe is doomed to poverty and dependency on food aid, when we have the potential to be the breadbasket of Africa. Local farmers should be given the priority they deserve. If they are not, they will be lost to other countries in the region and beyond where their knowledge, skill, productivity and culture of hard work is greatly sought after.”

Guthrie said farmers should unite under the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Alliance Trust. The trust is an alliance of the Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) and the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union (ZFU).

“This process (of farmer alliances) must, however, continue so that they can speak with one unified voice — whether commercial or small scale — to be able to lobby government, source finance, inputs and access markets to the benefit of all producers,” he said.

Guthrie said agriculture was vital for developing Zimbabwe’s economy.

“Agriculture is the backbone of any developing economy, and as primary producers, farmers contribute to downstream manufacturing, processing and industry of the country,” he said.

“This in turn provides food security, job creation and export earnings. The sustainability and viability of farming in Zimbabwe is currently a question of critical concern.”